To cut ocean plastic pollution, aquaculture turns to renewable gear

Erin Adams steers a refurbished lobster boat down Harraseeket River toward Casco Bay in southern Maine. As she passes the tiny Pound of Tea Island, where sea gulls lounge and a lone red Adirondack chair sits invitingly at the water’s edge, her destination looms in the distance: a 10-acre oyster farm. It’s a windy day and the boat pitches and rolls as Adams slows near a line of floating black oyster cages undulating in the swells.

Aquaculture both contributes to and is potentially harmed by the ocean plastics crisis.

Adams is harvesting today with her business partner Eric Oransky, who works fast, pulling up oyster bags and tossing them onto the deck. Dumping the contents onto a processing table, they count the oysters in groups of 10, occasionally knocking two together to make sure they’re alive. Then, Oransky sends each group of 10 through a chute and Adams catches them in mesh bags. Voila! They’re ready for delivery fresh off the boat.

These mesh bags aren’t made from ordinary polypropylene mesh, however. They’re woven out of string made with 100-percent European beechwood, which is sustainably harvested by thinning forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. They’re the only plastic-free, biodegradable, home-compostable oyster “harvest” bags on the market.

Maine Ocean Farms uses roughly 1,200 of these bags every season. The bagging material is sold by Ocean Farms Supply, a business launched last year by Maine Ocean Farms and helmed by Adams. And although the company sells the material to oyster, clam, and mussel growers and wholesale distributors as far away as Mexico, California, and Florida, most of its business is local.

Erin Adams and Eric Oransky counting oysters. Adams is cutting a mesh bag from the roll of material in the background. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

Erin Adams and Eric Oransky counting oysters. Adams is cutting a mesh bag from the roll of material in the background. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

Already, the company’s bags have replaced the use of 14 linear miles of polypropylene mesh, according to Adams, who adds: “We are just beginning.”

Demand for non-plastic aquaculture gear is growing, as evidenced by the hundred or so seafood farmers who packed into a session at the Northeast Aquaculture Conference in April to hear Adams and others speak on the topic.

Aquaculture both contributes to and is potentially harmed by the ocean plastics crisis. Much of the industry’s gear, from ropes to cages to flotation devices, are made of plastic. Over time, that plastic degrades, generating millimeter-sized particles that can be ingested by shellfish and finfish, potentially harming their health. While harvest bags are a small part of the plastics used on a typical oyster farm—and in aquaculture more broadly—replacing them with a non-plastic biodegradable material is a step in the right direction.

Oysters bagged with material made from sustainably harvested beechwood. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

Oysters bagged with material made from sustainably harvested beechwood. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

They’re just one in a growing number of emerging innovations that mariculturists—small-scale shellfish and kelp growers—are developing to reduce their contribution to the ocean plastics crisis. Other new products include kelp-based ropes and lobster bait bags, oyster cages made solely from wood and metal, and cotton and hemp-based systems for growing shellfish larvae. While innovators are still grappling with longevity, durability, and the cost-competitiveness of new materials, the trend shows some promise.

“If you can create a biodegradable material, or something that’s more benign [for farming shellfish], then you’re improving the health of your product, the quality of your product, and the environment at the same time. It’s a win-win-win,” said Joel Baziuk, associate director, Global Ghost Gear Initiative, at the Ocean Conservancy.

Ocean Plastics and Aquaculture

Every year, 11 million metric tons of plastic enters the oceans, which are already clogged with an estimated 15 to 50 trillion pieces of plastic that never fully break down, but instead fragment into smaller and smaller pieces. Roughly 80 percent of that plastic comes from land-based sources, including wastewater, according to Britta Baechler, senior manager of ocean plastics research at the Ocean Conservancy.

Aquaculture contributes to ocean plastic pollution in three main ways, Baziuk told Civil Eats. Gear is lost from open water cages, wave action and extreme weather abrade plastic ropes, nets, and flotation systems, and single-use plastics used during routine operations can enter the ocean, particularly in regions with poor waste management systems.

“We know that [aquaculture] is a major vector, we just don’t know exactly how much, because there’s not enough research,” said Baziuk.

“People told us they’d been looking for 15 years,” for a non-plastic packaging material, Oransky said. “It’s amazing that a few mariners, woodworkers, and shipbuilders figured it out.”

Some 1,300 marine animal species have been found to ingest ocean plastics, said Baechler. Bivalves filter enormous volumes of water to feed, which means that microplastics can get trapped in their gills or guts and cause blockages. Studies show that microplastics can decrease the ability of clams, oysters, and mussels to create energy; they can hinder muscle function and impair reproduction and growth. Hormone-disrupting chemicals like bisphenols and phthalates, which leach from microplastics, can also change marine animals’ behavior or affect their ability to grow, reproduce, and feed effectively.

Little is known about the impacts to humans who consume shellfish contaminated with microfiber, and more research is needed. But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t consume shellfish, Baechler says. “It’s not a great thing for human health that we’re consuming microplastics, but it’s not a problem that’s specific to shellfish or seafood. It’s across the human food system.”

Pandemic-Inspired Innovation

Energetic and intense, Oransky grew up in Freeport, Maine, and spent summers sailing in Casco Bay. His passion for the water led him to cofound Maine Ocean Farms in 2017, after working as a woodworker.

Like many in Maine’s mariculturist community, Oransky is young, innovative, and environmentally minded. “Those are the people who are driving the interest in reducing plastics and coming up with non-fossil fuel-based technologies,” Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, told Civil Eats.

To cut ocean plastic pollution, aquaculture turns to renewable gear

Erin Adams steers a refurbished lobster boat down Harraseeket River toward Casco Bay in southern Maine. As she passes the tiny Pound of Tea Island, where sea gulls lounge and a lone red Adirondack chair sits invitingly at the water’s edge, her destination looms in the distance: a 10-acre oyster farm. It’s a windy day and the boat pitches and rolls as Adams slows near a line of floating black oyster cages undulating in the swells.

Aquaculture both contributes to and is potentially harmed by the ocean plastics crisis.

Adams is harvesting today with her business partner Eric Oransky, who works fast, pulling up oyster bags and tossing them onto the deck. Dumping the contents onto a processing table, they count the oysters in groups of 10, occasionally knocking two together to make sure they’re alive. Then, Oransky sends each group of 10 through a chute and Adams catches them in mesh bags. Voila! They’re ready for delivery fresh off the boat.

These mesh bags aren’t made from ordinary polypropylene mesh, however. They’re woven out of string made with 100-percent European beechwood, which is sustainably harvested by thinning forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. They’re the only plastic-free, biodegradable, home-compostable oyster “harvest” bags on the market.

Maine Ocean Farms uses roughly 1,200 of these bags every season. The bagging material is sold by Ocean Farms Supply, a business launched last year by Maine Ocean Farms and helmed by Adams. And although the company sells the material to oyster, clam, and mussel growers and wholesale distributors as far away as Mexico, California, and Florida, most of its business is local.

Erin Adams and Eric Oransky counting oysters. Adams is cutting a mesh bag from the roll of material in the background. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

Erin Adams and Eric Oransky counting oysters. Adams is cutting a mesh bag from the roll of material in the background. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

Already, the company’s bags have replaced the use of 14 linear miles of polypropylene mesh, according to Adams, who adds: “We are just beginning.”

Demand for non-plastic aquaculture gear is growing, as evidenced by the hundred or so seafood farmers who packed into a session at the Northeast Aquaculture Conference in April to hear Adams and others speak on the topic.

Aquaculture both contributes to and is potentially harmed by the ocean plastics crisis. Much of the industry’s gear, from ropes to cages to flotation devices, are made of plastic. Over time, that plastic degrades, generating millimeter-sized particles that can be ingested by shellfish and finfish, potentially harming their health. While harvest bags are a small part of the plastics used on a typical oyster farm—and in aquaculture more broadly—replacing them with a non-plastic biodegradable material is a step in the right direction.

Oysters bagged with material made from sustainably harvested beechwood. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

Oysters bagged with material made from sustainably harvested beechwood. (Photo credit: Meg Wilcox)

They’re just one in a growing number of emerging innovations that mariculturists—small-scale shellfish and kelp growers—are developing to reduce their contribution to the ocean plastics crisis. Other new products include kelp-based ropes and lobster bait bags, oyster cages made solely from wood and metal, and cotton and hemp-based systems for growing shellfish larvae. While innovators are still grappling with longevity, durability, and the cost-competitiveness of new materials, the trend shows some promise.

“If you can create a biodegradable material, or something that’s more benign [for farming shellfish], then you’re improving the health of your product, the quality of your product, and the environment at the same time. It’s a win-win-win,” said Joel Baziuk, associate director, Global Ghost Gear Initiative, at the Ocean Conservancy.

Ocean Plastics and Aquaculture

Every year, 11 million metric tons of plastic enters the oceans, which are already clogged with an estimated 15 to 50 trillion pieces of plastic that never fully break down, but instead fragment into smaller and smaller pieces. Roughly 80 percent of that plastic comes from land-based sources, including wastewater, according to Britta Baechler, senior manager of ocean plastics research at the Ocean Conservancy.

Aquaculture contributes to ocean plastic pollution in three main ways, Baziuk told Civil Eats. Gear is lost from open water cages, wave action and extreme weather abrade plastic ropes, nets, and flotation systems, and single-use plastics used during routine operations can enter the ocean, particularly in regions with poor waste management systems.

“We know that [aquaculture] is a major vector, we just don’t know exactly how much, because there’s not enough research,” said Baziuk.

“People told us they’d been looking for 15 years,” for a non-plastic packaging material, Oransky said. “It’s amazing that a few mariners, woodworkers, and shipbuilders figured it out.”

Some 1,300 marine animal species have been found to ingest ocean plastics, said Baechler. Bivalves filter enormous volumes of water to feed, which means that microplastics can get trapped in their gills or guts and cause blockages. Studies show that microplastics can decrease the ability of clams, oysters, and mussels to create energy; they can hinder muscle function and impair reproduction and growth. Hormone-disrupting chemicals like bisphenols and phthalates, which leach from microplastics, can also change marine animals’ behavior or affect their ability to grow, reproduce, and feed effectively.

Little is known about the impacts to humans who consume shellfish contaminated with microfiber, and more research is needed. But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t consume shellfish, Baechler says. “It’s not a great thing for human health that we’re consuming microplastics, but it’s not a problem that’s specific to shellfish or seafood. It’s across the human food system.”

Pandemic-Inspired Innovation

Energetic and intense, Oransky grew up in Freeport, Maine, and spent summers sailing in Casco Bay. His passion for the water led him to cofound Maine Ocean Farms in 2017, after working as a woodworker.

Like many in Maine’s mariculturist community, Oransky is young, innovative, and environmentally minded. “Those are the people who are driving the interest in reducing plastics and coming up with non-fossil fuel-based technologies,” Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, told Civil Eats.

World leaders confront 'ocean emergency' at U.N. conference

The ocean covers about 70 percent of Earth’s surface, yet it is often missing from discussions about tackling climate change, plastic pollution, biodiversity loss and other pressing environmental threats facing the planet.

Thousands of scientists and activists hope to shift the conversation at this week’s United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, where leaders from more than 20 nations are set to issue a declaration on protecting the high seas against exploitation and restoring ocean health.

“Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what I would call an ocean emergency,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres told delegates at the opening of the conference. “We must turn the tide. A healthy and productive ocean is vital to our shared future.”

The ocean is a critical solution to climate change, groups tell Biden

Already, the gathering has featured some splashy commitments from governments and the private sector, drawing measured praise from conservationists, who warn that leaders must still do more to protect the ocean for humanity and marine life.

Several American officials are attending the talks, including U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry. And President Biden on Monday signed a memorandum to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing — a leading cause of global overfishing that often involves forced labor, human trafficking and other human rights abuses.

The United States, Britain and Canada will launch an alliance to improve monitoring of fisheries and “hold bad actors accountable,” according to a White House fact sheet. A working group comprising 21 federal agencies will release a five-year strategy on curtailing illegal fishing, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Monday issued a proposed rule to combat forced labor in the seafood supply chain.

“We must continue to work together to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing around the world, which jeopardizes maritime security and livelihoods for law-abiding fishers and communities,” Kerry said in a statement to The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, outgoing Colombian President Iván Duque announced Monday that his country had conserved 30 percent of the ocean off its coasts, becoming the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to meet this goal by 2030. (Duque is set to be replaced by President-elect Gustavo Petro, a leftist who won a historic election on June 19 and has pledged to ban new contracts for oil exploration in Latin America’s third-largest country.)

Jean Flemma, co-founder of the think tank Urban Ocean Lab, who is attending the talks in Lisbon, said the mood on the ground there is punctuated by both optimism and a sense of urgency to combat climate change before it’s too late.

“There are some big announcements and commitments that have been made, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “But people also feel an urgency, and some of us are worried that we’re not acting fast enough.”

In addition to governments, the private sector has poured money into protecting 30 percent of Earth’s land and sea by 2030 — an initiative commonly shortened to 30 x 30. The Bezos Earth Fund, the environmental philanthropy launched by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on Monday announced its first grants for marine protection, totaling $50 million. (Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Grants totaling $30 million will support organizations working to create a network of marine protected areas spanning more than 193,000 square miles off the coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. A $20 million grant will fund the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas project, which will conduct research over the next five years in the central and western Pacific Ocean, which contains the highest marine biodiversity on the planet.

“The ocean is our planet’s life support system and a major carbon sink,” Andrew Steer, president and chief executive of the Bezos Earth Fund, said in a statement. “Investing in the ocean can be a powerful solution to many major challenges. It can protect vital marine ecosystems, provide jobs, help local communities, improve food security, and address climate change.”

On Tuesday, Bloomberg Philanthropies and eight philanthropic partners committed a collective $1 billion to support the creation, expansion and management of marine protected areas. The commitment is roughly equal to all philanthropic giving for marine protected areas and habitat protection over the past decade.

The conference is set to culminate Friday in a declaration to facilitate the conservation of the ocean and its resources, according to the United Nations. However, the declaration will not be binding on its signatories.

Humanity’s greatest ally against climate change is Earth itself

Still beyond reach, meanwhile, is an international treaty to establish the first-ever legal framework for protecting the high seas. After 10 years of talks, a deal has failed to materialize, although a fifth round of negotiations is scheduled for August in New York.

“I love what the U.N. says, but, unfortunately, they can’t really act,” said Clive Russell, a member of Ocean Rebellion, an activist group that staged a protest before the conference to highlight perceived inaction on overfishing. “So the commitments they make don’t really amount to much.”

Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, apologized to young people on Sunday “on behalf of my generation, to your generation” for the state of the planet.

“In my generation, those that were politically responsible … we were slow or sometimes unwilling to recognize that things were getting worse and worse in these three dimensions: ocean, climate and biodiversity,” he said. “And that even today, we are moving too slowly in relation to the need to reverse the threat, of rehabilitating the oceans, rescuing biodiversity and stopping climate change. We are still moving in the wrong direction.”

Since humanity started burning fossil fuels and releasing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, the ocean has absorbed more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped in the atmosphere. The consequences have been devastating for coral reefs, which have been wiped out by mass bleaching events.

Sign up for the latest news about climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday

Yet the ocean also has the power to help humanity stave off the worst effects of global warming. By some estimates, the ocean can provide one-fifth of the emissions cuts needed to meet the more ambitious goal of the Paris agreement: limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels.

Offshore wind farms can generate clean electricity to power millions of homes in coastal communities. And “blue carbon” ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, coral reefs and kelp forests can store more carbon dioxide per unit than forests on land.

“There has been an incredible recognition of the role the ocean has to play in solving the climate crisis,” said Anna-Marie Laura, director of climate policy for the Ocean Conservancy, who is attending the conference. “Countries are backing that up with specific actions. And there’s even more to be done.”

World leaders confront 'ocean emergency' at U.N. conference

The ocean covers about 70 percent of Earth’s surface, yet it is often missing from discussions about tackling climate change, plastic pollution, biodiversity loss and other pressing environmental threats facing the planet.

Thousands of scientists and activists hope to shift the conversation at this week’s United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, where leaders from more than 20 nations are set to issue a declaration on protecting the high seas against exploitation and restoring ocean health.

“Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what I would call an ocean emergency,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres told delegates at the opening of the conference. “We must turn the tide. A healthy and productive ocean is vital to our shared future.”

The ocean is a critical solution to climate change, groups tell Biden

Already, the gathering has featured some splashy commitments from governments and the private sector, drawing measured praise from conservationists, who warn that leaders must still do more to protect the ocean for humanity and marine life.

Several American officials are attending the talks, including U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry. And President Biden on Monday signed a memorandum to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing — a leading cause of global overfishing that often involves forced labor, human trafficking and other human rights abuses.

The United States, Britain and Canada will launch an alliance to improve monitoring of fisheries and “hold bad actors accountable,” according to a White House fact sheet. A working group comprising 21 federal agencies will release a five-year strategy on curtailing illegal fishing, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Monday issued a proposed rule to combat forced labor in the seafood supply chain.

“We must continue to work together to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing around the world, which jeopardizes maritime security and livelihoods for law-abiding fishers and communities,” Kerry said in a statement to The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, outgoing Colombian President Iván Duque announced Monday that his country had conserved 30 percent of the ocean off its coasts, becoming the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to meet this goal by 2030. (Duque is set to be replaced by President-elect Gustavo Petro, a leftist who won a historic election on June 19 and has pledged to ban new contracts for oil exploration in Latin America’s third-largest country.)

Jean Flemma, co-founder of the think tank Urban Ocean Lab, who is attending the talks in Lisbon, said the mood on the ground there is punctuated by both optimism and a sense of urgency to combat climate change before it’s too late.

“There are some big announcements and commitments that have been made, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “But people also feel an urgency, and some of us are worried that we’re not acting fast enough.”

In addition to governments, the private sector has poured money into protecting 30 percent of Earth’s land and sea by 2030 — an initiative commonly shortened to 30 x 30. The Bezos Earth Fund, the environmental philanthropy launched by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on Monday announced its first grants for marine protection, totaling $50 million. (Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Grants totaling $30 million will support organizations working to create a network of marine protected areas spanning more than 193,000 square miles off the coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. A $20 million grant will fund the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas project, which will conduct research over the next five years in the central and western Pacific Ocean, which contains the highest marine biodiversity on the planet.

“The ocean is our planet’s life support system and a major carbon sink,” Andrew Steer, president and chief executive of the Bezos Earth Fund, said in a statement. “Investing in the ocean can be a powerful solution to many major challenges. It can protect vital marine ecosystems, provide jobs, help local communities, improve food security, and address climate change.”

On Tuesday, Bloomberg Philanthropies and eight philanthropic partners committed a collective $1 billion to support the creation, expansion and management of marine protected areas. The commitment is roughly equal to all philanthropic giving for marine protected areas and habitat protection over the past decade.

The conference is set to culminate Friday in a declaration to facilitate the conservation of the ocean and its resources, according to the United Nations. However, the declaration will not be binding on its signatories.

Humanity’s greatest ally against climate change is Earth itself

Still beyond reach, meanwhile, is an international treaty to establish the first-ever legal framework for protecting the high seas. After 10 years of talks, a deal has failed to materialize, although a fifth round of negotiations is scheduled for August in New York.

“I love what the U.N. says, but, unfortunately, they can’t really act,” said Clive Russell, a member of Ocean Rebellion, an activist group that staged a protest before the conference to highlight perceived inaction on overfishing. “So the commitments they make don’t really amount to much.”

Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, apologized to young people on Sunday “on behalf of my generation, to your generation” for the state of the planet.

“In my generation, those that were politically responsible … we were slow or sometimes unwilling to recognize that things were getting worse and worse in these three dimensions: ocean, climate and biodiversity,” he said. “And that even today, we are moving too slowly in relation to the need to reverse the threat, of rehabilitating the oceans, rescuing biodiversity and stopping climate change. We are still moving in the wrong direction.”

Since humanity started burning fossil fuels and releasing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, the ocean has absorbed more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped in the atmosphere. The consequences have been devastating for coral reefs, which have been wiped out by mass bleaching events.

Sign up for the latest news about climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday

Yet the ocean also has the power to help humanity stave off the worst effects of global warming. By some estimates, the ocean can provide one-fifth of the emissions cuts needed to meet the more ambitious goal of the Paris agreement: limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels.

Offshore wind farms can generate clean electricity to power millions of homes in coastal communities. And “blue carbon” ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, coral reefs and kelp forests can store more carbon dioxide per unit than forests on land.

“There has been an incredible recognition of the role the ocean has to play in solving the climate crisis,” said Anna-Marie Laura, director of climate policy for the Ocean Conservancy, who is attending the conference. “Countries are backing that up with specific actions. And there’s even more to be done.”

UN head declares ‘ocean emergency’ as global leaders gather in Lisbon

UN head declares ‘ocean emergency’ as global leaders gather in Lisbon

António Guterres says the world must turn the tide of rising sea levels, ocean heating, acidification and plastics pollution

Ocean Rebellion activists in Lisbon as UN declares ocean emergency.

The UN secretary general has declared that the world is in the middle of an “ocean emergency”, and urged governments to do more to restore ocean health.

Speaking at the opening of the UN ocean conference in Lisbon, Portugal, attended by global leaders and heads of state from 20 countries, António Guterres said: “Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted and today we face what I would call an ocean emergency. We must turn the tide.”

Guterres said the “egoism” of some nations was hampering efforts to agree a long-awaited treaty to protect the world’s oceans.

In March, UN member states were criticised by scientists and environmentalists for failing to agree on a blueprint for protecting the high seas against exploitation. Of the 64% of the high seas that lie beyond territorial limits, only 1.2% is currently protected.

Sea level rise, ocean heating, ocean acidification and greenhouse gas concentrations all reached record levels last year, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s state of the global climate report in 2021.

Low-level nations and coastal cities face flooding, while pollution is creating vast coastal dead zones and overfishing is “crippling fish stocks”, Guterres said.

Marine pollution is increasing and marine species declining, including sharks and rays, whose populations have crashed by more than 70% over the past 50 years.

Nearly 80% of the world’s wastewater is discharged into the sea without treatment, while at least 8m tonnes of plastic enters the oceans each year. “Without drastic action, the plastic could outweigh all the fish in the ocean by 2050,” Guterres warned.

“We cannot have a healthy planet without a healthy ocean,” he said in his opening remarks.

Guterres, who is from Lisbon, was applauded as he began his speech in his native Portuguese, quoting one of the countries best-known poets, Fernando Pessoa: “God wanted the Earth to be all one. That the sea unites, no longer separates.”

A cormorant sits on her nest surrounded by garbage on the shore of Isabela Island in the Galapagos archipelago.

The secretary general referred to the positive news since the last UN Ocean conference in 2017, including progress on a legally binding instrument to conserve and protect biodiversity in waters beyond national jurisdiction – part of the draft UN high seas treaty – and last week’s World Trade Organization agreement to curb harmful fishing subsidies.

But he issued a call to governments to raise their ambitions on global health. “Much more needs to be done by all of us together,” he said, including more funding for scienctific innovation. “A healthy and productive ocean is vital to our shared future,” Guterres said.

The theme of the conference is the critical need for scientific knowledge and marine technology to build ocean resilience. Guterres called for a “goal of mapping 80% of the seabed by 2030”.

He made several recommendations, including sustainable management that could help the ocean produce six times as much food and generate 40 times as much renewable energy as it does currently, and protecting the oceans and people in coastal areas from the impacts of the climate crisis.

More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean for food security, while 120 million work directly in fisheries and aquaculture-related activities, the majority in small-island developing states and least developed countries. Yet SDG (sustainable development goal) 14 (to conserve and sustainably use the ocean seas and marine environment for sustainable development) is the least funded of all the SDGs, Guterres said.

UN ocean treaty is ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to protect the high seas
Read more

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, a co-president of the UN oceans conference, told delegates that “oceans are the most under-appreciated resource on our planet” and human activity had placed them under “great stress”.

“Poor management has reduced the ocean’s natural ability to restore itself,” he said. “I find it surprising that we should put such a critical resource at risk.”

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of Portugal and co-chair of the conference, said that war and the pandemic must not be used as an excuse for inaction. “Oceans are central in geopolitical balance of power,” he said. “We must recover the time we have lost and give hope a chance, once again, before it is too late.”

The draft declaration of the conference acknowledges the world’s collective failure to achieve SDG14 and commits to reversing the health of the ocean, but it does not elaborate on how this will be achieved. It also makes reference to the need for financing for developing countries to help implement Marine Protected Areas.

The final draft of the political declaration is expected to be adopted at the end of the conference. Negotiations between nations on the key instrument to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 – the global ocean treaty – are expected to take place in New York in August.

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UN head declares ‘ocean emergency’ as global leaders gather in Lisbon

UN head declares ‘ocean emergency’ as global leaders gather in Lisbon

António Guterres says the world must turn the tide of rising sea levels, ocean heating, acidification and plastics pollution

Ocean Rebellion activists in Lisbon as UN declares ocean emergency.

The UN secretary general has declared that the world is in the middle of an “ocean emergency”, and urged governments to do more to restore ocean health.

Speaking at the opening of the UN ocean conference in Lisbon, Portugal, attended by global leaders and heads of state from 20 countries, António Guterres said: “Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted and today we face what I would call an ocean emergency. We must turn the tide.”

Guterres said the “egoism” of some nations was hampering efforts to agree a long-awaited treaty to protect the world’s oceans.

In March, UN member states were criticised by scientists and environmentalists for failing to agree on a blueprint for protecting the high seas against exploitation. Of the 64% of the high seas that lie beyond territorial limits, only 1.2% is currently protected.

Sea level rise, ocean heating, ocean acidification and greenhouse gas concentrations all reached record levels last year, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s state of the global climate report in 2021.

Low-level nations and coastal cities face flooding, while pollution is creating vast coastal dead zones and overfishing is “crippling fish stocks”, Guterres said.

Marine pollution is increasing and marine species declining, including sharks and rays, whose populations have crashed by more than 70% over the past 50 years.

Nearly 80% of the world’s wastewater is discharged into the sea without treatment, while at least 8m tonnes of plastic enters the oceans each year. “Without drastic action, the plastic could outweigh all the fish in the ocean by 2050,” Guterres warned.

“We cannot have a healthy planet without a healthy ocean,” he said in his opening remarks.

Guterres, who is from Lisbon, was applauded as he began his speech in his native Portuguese, quoting one of the countries best-known poets, Fernando Pessoa: “God wanted the Earth to be all one. That the sea unites, no longer separates.”

A cormorant sits on her nest surrounded by garbage on the shore of Isabela Island in the Galapagos archipelago.

The secretary general referred to the positive news since the last UN Ocean conference in 2017, including progress on a legally binding instrument to conserve and protect biodiversity in waters beyond national jurisdiction – part of the draft UN high seas treaty – and last week’s World Trade Organization agreement to curb harmful fishing subsidies.

But he issued a call to governments to raise their ambitions on global health. “Much more needs to be done by all of us together,” he said, including more funding for scienctific innovation. “A healthy and productive ocean is vital to our shared future,” Guterres said.

The theme of the conference is the critical need for scientific knowledge and marine technology to build ocean resilience. Guterres called for a “goal of mapping 80% of the seabed by 2030”.

He made several recommendations, including sustainable management that could help the ocean produce six times as much food and generate 40 times as much renewable energy as it does currently, and protecting the oceans and people in coastal areas from the impacts of the climate crisis.

More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean for food security, while 120 million work directly in fisheries and aquaculture-related activities, the majority in small-island developing states and least developed countries. Yet SDG (sustainable development goal) 14 (to conserve and sustainably use the ocean seas and marine environment for sustainable development) is the least funded of all the SDGs, Guterres said.

UN ocean treaty is ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to protect the high seas
Read more

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, a co-president of the UN oceans conference, told delegates that “oceans are the most under-appreciated resource on our planet” and human activity had placed them under “great stress”.

“Poor management has reduced the ocean’s natural ability to restore itself,” he said. “I find it surprising that we should put such a critical resource at risk.”

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of Portugal and co-chair of the conference, said that war and the pandemic must not be used as an excuse for inaction. “Oceans are central in geopolitical balance of power,” he said. “We must recover the time we have lost and give hope a chance, once again, before it is too late.”

The draft declaration of the conference acknowledges the world’s collective failure to achieve SDG14 and commits to reversing the health of the ocean, but it does not elaborate on how this will be achieved. It also makes reference to the need for financing for developing countries to help implement Marine Protected Areas.

The final draft of the political declaration is expected to be adopted at the end of the conference. Negotiations between nations on the key instrument to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 – the global ocean treaty – are expected to take place in New York in August.

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Plastic pollution in Nigeria is poorly studied but enough is known to urge action

In recent years, the amount of plastic in the environment has become a global concern. With the world population approaching eight billion , more and more plastic and plastic-derived products are being used and discarded. An estimated 367 million tonnes (367 billion kg) of plastic were produced in 2020 alone – about 12 tonnes (12,000kg) of plastic waste produced every second that year.

With about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, Nigeria ranks ninth globally among countries with the highest contributions to plastic pollution. Unfortunately, over 88% of the plastic waste generated in Nigeria is not recycled . Instead, much of it ends up in water bodies – rivers, lakes, drains, lagoons and the ocean.

Waste comes in sizes ranging from macroplastic (pieces larger than 25 millimetres in diameter) to nanoplastic (less than 1,000 nanometers). It takes various forms, such as polyethylene terephthalate (used for food packaging, beverages, and personal care products), polyvinyl chloride (used in plumbing pipes, flooring, and clothing) and polystyrene (used for food packaging, laboratory materials, toys and computer housing).

Studies globally have demonstrated the adverse impacts of plastic waste on the environment. For example, it can cause intestinal damage when ingested by fishes and turtles .

Microplastic particles (less than 5mm long) have been shown to be potential vectors of disease agents . Plastic has been reported in cooking salt , stool and drinking water (tap, bottled, and sachet), with potential risks to human health.

Sustaining life in water and on land is among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals . This makes it necessary to have a clear idea of where the plastic pollution is coming from, what harm it is causing and what the authorities can do about it.

Plastic waste in Nigeria

We conducted a systematic review of academic studies on plastic pollution in the environment in Nigeria. There were relatively few. As at 30 May 2021 there were only 26 such studies in Nigeria, compared to 62 peer-reviewed studies on the Arctic Ocean . Between 1987 and September 2020, there were 59 studies on the African aquatic environment .

We looked for the main sources and types of plastic waste in Nigeria and their biological effects. We identified big research gaps but were able to make some recommendations.

The studies indicate that water sachets and shopping bags are the major constituents of plastic waste in Nigeria. Educational institutions, markets and households are among the major routes. They are indirect routes of entry of plastic waste, particularly into water bodies in Nigeria.

Read more: Lagos beaches have a microplastic pollution problem Markets are one of the major sources of plastic pollution. Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via GettyImages

The sources of plastic waste included tyre wear, cigarette butts and electronic waste (mobile phone components, electronics, electrical appliances). Others were fishing ropes, biosolids, cosmetics, clothing, food packs, and cellphone bags. Microplastic particles were found in some insects, snails and fish sampled from water bodies as well as in table salt (mostly in Southern Nigeria).

Research gaps

Further research is needed to establish holistic evidence of plastic pollution from all sources across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

We also need to know more about its effect on agricultural soils, air, plants, animals, drinking water and human health as well as the socio-economic and psycho-social impact.

Despite these gaps, the evidence for land-based sources indirectly polluting water bodies and the oceans is a concern.

With increasing evidence of climate change in Nigeria , such as floods, the chances for transfer of plastic waste from indirect sources into the aquatic environment are higher.

Next steps

The low level of recycling – less than 12% – and inadequate waste collection pose a huge threat to plastic pollution management in Nigeria.

Read more: Nigeria’s plastic pollution is harming the environment: steps to combat it are overdue

Some African countries have taken steps to curb plastic waste discarded into the environment. They are gradually eliminating or banning single-use plastics. They have also made producers more responsible through buy-back programmes .

Education about plastic pollution management should start at the elementary level and continue into adulthood.

The informal sector also has a role in curbing plastic waste in the environment. Policies and incentives, backed by robust enforcement, should target plastic producing companies to encourage polymer replacement and recycling.

Researchers need up-to-date facilities and funds to evaluate plastic footprint and the risk to animals and humans. They should explore trans-disciplinary approaches to curbing plastic pollution, including using innovative technologies.

Temitope O. Sogbanmu works for the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She is affiliated with the Evidence Use in Environmental Policymaking in Nigeria (EUEPiN) Project, The African Academy of Sciences (The AAS), the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA), and other Professional Environmental Societies.

By Temitope O. Sogbanmu, Lecturer I, Ecotoxicology and Conservation Unit, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos

Plastic pollution in Nigeria is poorly studied but enough is known to urge action

In recent years, the amount of plastic in the environment has become a global concern. With the world population approaching eight billion , more and more plastic and plastic-derived products are being used and discarded. An estimated 367 million tonnes (367 billion kg) of plastic were produced in 2020 alone – about 12 tonnes (12,000kg) of plastic waste produced every second that year.

With about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, Nigeria ranks ninth globally among countries with the highest contributions to plastic pollution. Unfortunately, over 88% of the plastic waste generated in Nigeria is not recycled . Instead, much of it ends up in water bodies – rivers, lakes, drains, lagoons and the ocean.

Waste comes in sizes ranging from macroplastic (pieces larger than 25 millimetres in diameter) to nanoplastic (less than 1,000 nanometers). It takes various forms, such as polyethylene terephthalate (used for food packaging, beverages, and personal care products), polyvinyl chloride (used in plumbing pipes, flooring, and clothing) and polystyrene (used for food packaging, laboratory materials, toys and computer housing).

Studies globally have demonstrated the adverse impacts of plastic waste on the environment. For example, it can cause intestinal damage when ingested by fishes and turtles .

Microplastic particles (less than 5mm long) have been shown to be potential vectors of disease agents . Plastic has been reported in cooking salt , stool and drinking water (tap, bottled, and sachet), with potential risks to human health.

Sustaining life in water and on land is among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals . This makes it necessary to have a clear idea of where the plastic pollution is coming from, what harm it is causing and what the authorities can do about it.

Plastic waste in Nigeria

We conducted a systematic review of academic studies on plastic pollution in the environment in Nigeria. There were relatively few. As at 30 May 2021 there were only 26 such studies in Nigeria, compared to 62 peer-reviewed studies on the Arctic Ocean . Between 1987 and September 2020, there were 59 studies on the African aquatic environment .

We looked for the main sources and types of plastic waste in Nigeria and their biological effects. We identified big research gaps but were able to make some recommendations.

The studies indicate that water sachets and shopping bags are the major constituents of plastic waste in Nigeria. Educational institutions, markets and households are among the major routes. They are indirect routes of entry of plastic waste, particularly into water bodies in Nigeria.

Read more: Lagos beaches have a microplastic pollution problem Markets are one of the major sources of plastic pollution. Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via GettyImages

The sources of plastic waste included tyre wear, cigarette butts and electronic waste (mobile phone components, electronics, electrical appliances). Others were fishing ropes, biosolids, cosmetics, clothing, food packs, and cellphone bags. Microplastic particles were found in some insects, snails and fish sampled from water bodies as well as in table salt (mostly in Southern Nigeria).

Research gaps

Further research is needed to establish holistic evidence of plastic pollution from all sources across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

We also need to know more about its effect on agricultural soils, air, plants, animals, drinking water and human health as well as the socio-economic and psycho-social impact.

Despite these gaps, the evidence for land-based sources indirectly polluting water bodies and the oceans is a concern.

With increasing evidence of climate change in Nigeria , such as floods, the chances for transfer of plastic waste from indirect sources into the aquatic environment are higher.

Next steps

The low level of recycling – less than 12% – and inadequate waste collection pose a huge threat to plastic pollution management in Nigeria.

Read more: Nigeria’s plastic pollution is harming the environment: steps to combat it are overdue

Some African countries have taken steps to curb plastic waste discarded into the environment. They are gradually eliminating or banning single-use plastics. They have also made producers more responsible through buy-back programmes .

Education about plastic pollution management should start at the elementary level and continue into adulthood.

The informal sector also has a role in curbing plastic waste in the environment. Policies and incentives, backed by robust enforcement, should target plastic producing companies to encourage polymer replacement and recycling.

Researchers need up-to-date facilities and funds to evaluate plastic footprint and the risk to animals and humans. They should explore trans-disciplinary approaches to curbing plastic pollution, including using innovative technologies.

Temitope O. Sogbanmu works for the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She is affiliated with the Evidence Use in Environmental Policymaking in Nigeria (EUEPiN) Project, The African Academy of Sciences (The AAS), the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA), and other Professional Environmental Societies.

By Temitope O. Sogbanmu, Lecturer I, Ecotoxicology and Conservation Unit, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos

Viruses can survive in water by ‘hitch-hiking’ on microplastics, new study finds

Viruses can survive and remain infectious by “hitch-hiking” on microplastics in freshwater, scientists have found, raising concern about the impact on human health.

Researchers from the University of Stirling found that rotavirus, which causes diarrhoea and an upset stomach, could survive for up to three days in lake water by binding itself to the surfaces of microplastics.

“Microplastics are so small that they could potentially be ingested by someone swimming,” said Professor Richard Quilliam, lead researcher on the project. “Sometimes they wash up on the beach as lentil-sized, brightly coloured pellets called nurdles that children might pick up and put in their mouths.”

“It doesn’t take many virus particles to make you sick,” he added.

The study published in the journal Environmental Pollution was the first to explore the issue in nature, with previous research focusing on the spread of viruses in sterile hospital settings.

It is part of a larger project called the Plastic Vector project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, which is investigating how plastics in the environment can help transport bacteria and viruses, and the impact that may have on human health.

Even if a wastewater treatment plant is doing all it can to clean sewage waste, the water discharged still has microplastics in it that are then transported down river into an estuary and end up on the beach, Prof Quilliam said.

Some viruses can also release themselves from the plastic into the water or sand meaning their persistence in the environment is increased, he added.

The scientists also only tested how long pathogens can survive on microplastics for up to three days, meaning it’s possible they could last longer.

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles under 5mm in size that pollute the world’s environment. They have been found across the planet – from the world’s oceans, to the air we breathe, and even in our blood.

The new study coincides with an ongoing scandal over the state of England’s waterways. Pollution in the bodies of water has long alarmed environmentalists, politicians and members of the public, with government data showing that every river in England is polluted.

In March, water companies admitted discharging raw sewage into England’s rivers, estuaries and seas around 1,000 times a day in 2021, according to government data.

While sewage firms are permitted to do this during times of heavy rainfall, the Environment Agency said they have allowed far too many spills.

Last week, Richard Foord, the newly-elected MP for Tiverton and Honiton constituency in Devon told The Independent his 12-year-old son and one of his friends recently got sick after swimming in their local river, where concerns have repeatedly been raised about pollution.

The government has been trying to clamp down on discharges and launched a consultation on its plan to do so.

Viruses can survive in water by ‘hitch-hiking’ on microplastics, new study finds

Viruses can survive and remain infectious by “hitch-hiking” on microplastics in freshwater, scientists have found, raising concern about the impact on human health.

Researchers from the University of Stirling found that rotavirus, which causes diarrhoea and an upset stomach, could survive for up to three days in lake water by binding itself to the surfaces of microplastics.

“Microplastics are so small that they could potentially be ingested by someone swimming,” said Professor Richard Quilliam, lead researcher on the project. “Sometimes they wash up on the beach as lentil-sized, brightly coloured pellets called nurdles that children might pick up and put in their mouths.”

“It doesn’t take many virus particles to make you sick,” he added.

The study published in the journal Environmental Pollution was the first to explore the issue in nature, with previous research focusing on the spread of viruses in sterile hospital settings.

It is part of a larger project called the Plastic Vector project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, which is investigating how plastics in the environment can help transport bacteria and viruses, and the impact that may have on human health.

Even if a wastewater treatment plant is doing all it can to clean sewage waste, the water discharged still has microplastics in it that are then transported down river into an estuary and end up on the beach, Prof Quilliam said.

Some viruses can also release themselves from the plastic into the water or sand meaning their persistence in the environment is increased, he added.

The scientists also only tested how long pathogens can survive on microplastics for up to three days, meaning it’s possible they could last longer.

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles under 5mm in size that pollute the world’s environment. They have been found across the planet – from the world’s oceans, to the air we breathe, and even in our blood.

The new study coincides with an ongoing scandal over the state of England’s waterways. Pollution in the bodies of water has long alarmed environmentalists, politicians and members of the public, with government data showing that every river in England is polluted.

In March, water companies admitted discharging raw sewage into England’s rivers, estuaries and seas around 1,000 times a day in 2021, according to government data.

While sewage firms are permitted to do this during times of heavy rainfall, the Environment Agency said they have allowed far too many spills.

Last week, Richard Foord, the newly-elected MP for Tiverton and Honiton constituency in Devon told The Independent his 12-year-old son and one of his friends recently got sick after swimming in their local river, where concerns have repeatedly been raised about pollution.

The government has been trying to clamp down on discharges and launched a consultation on its plan to do so.